See other posts tagged:

I’ve often wished I could think of a way to tell motorists what I’m thinking, but I hadn’t really come up with the idea of doing a custom jersey to do it. The cyclists over at ShareTheDamnRoad.com did it for me. Now the question is–which one do I buy?

See other posts tagged:

My introduction to the sport and the bike – before urban, fixed, or cargo – was with Lemond and Fignon. Hinault, Merckx, Indurain, Mussewu, and Rominger.

Photo: unknown

That’s when the sport seemed far away in Europe and otherworldly to someone that rode his Fisher Paragon in the Eastern Washington shrub steppe desert. Theirs were names told in stories of epic heroism on roads in France. I studied them, watched grainy videos recorded from Satellite TV and learned to ride road. Fell of rollers in the back of a bike shop, read Eddie B’s eat horse-meat book, and was thrilled to get even an hour of Tour coverage on ABC with ridiculous commentary from Adrian Karsten.

Like other mountain bikers, I wanted to get faster by spending more time on the road. This was when the American sport of mountain bike racing was getting overrun by World Cup-class Europeans who were fitter, thinner, and faster. Everyone was turning to road and riding bikes like the carbon-tubed Epic Allez or picture-perfect painted Colnagos, and fishing-lure-green Treks.

The story of a coke-can shimmed Aero Bar, invented by a Triathlete, WWII vet in Idaho was marvelous. Later came the Americanization of the Sport with Lance Armstrong.

What a rich history and dark side this sport has had in the 20 odd years I’ve been into it.

Fignon was many things, a complex character, a true Frenchman and a champion. He blamed his cancer on the dope he took and maybe his death will signal a turning point in this decades-old battle with the two speeds in the peloton. I expect other old pros are wondering about what they did to their bodies. Time for them to come clean too.

See other posts tagged:

The gadget and design blogs posted on Redfish Creative’s Bicycle Speedometer concept over the weekend and whether or not the idea actually goes into production, it demontrates how the electronic accessories market hasn’t caught up to the urban aesthetic.

Image: Redfish

Leather, stainless, automotive style dials with click counters to replace the boring LEDs we use now? Sure and we’d welcome that because what we’re using is based on late 90s designs from Avocet, Cateye et al. Sure we’ve got power, heart rate, and more but the bicycle computer is essentially the same.

Photo: Wikipedia

Extend that to lights and a family of products that would match your bespoke bike and maybe you’re onto something. What have we seen in updated accessories with a modern design aesthetic besides:

Minipumps that function more like a shakeweight than a pump,

Various water bottle systems and a new one with two caps

Silicon-wrapped LEDs that resemble kids Croc’s with a flashlight lodged in them?